Top basketball programs of all time?

[Rocky Mountain Shock]

Gotta put Duke and Indiana above KU based on national championships. I guess KU might be tied with UCONN maybe?

Yes, they are, but all of UConn's have been since the late 90's and I believe all were won by Calhoun (but someone please correct that if necessary). KU's success is more consistent over a period of time. So with that said I should probably switch UConn and Louisville on my own ranking. Louisville's success was over several decades and several coaches and should probably be at the top of the borderline blue bloods.

[ShockTalk]

Just a note to @Dan: before I get to the heart of my post, UCLA did win a National Championship in '95 and 3 more F4s in the 2000s.

I think the Top 4 are fairly clear: UCLA 11 titles, 18 F4s, 45 appearances / Kentucky 8 titles, 15 F4s, 52 appearances / UNC 5 titles, 18 F4s, 44 appearances, / Duke 4 titles, 15 F4s, 37 appearances.

The next three: Indiana 5 titles, 8 F4s, 37 appearances / KU 3 titles, 14 F4s, 42 appearances / Louisville 3 titles, 10 F4s, 39 appearances. I kept Indiana out of the top group due to a lot fewer F4s (rank tied for 8th) and gave Duke more credit for 7 more F4s even though they had one less title. KU ranks 5th all time in F4s and 4th in appearances.

For one reason or another, the next group doesn't quite match up with the 2nd group above. UConn 3 titles, 4 F4s, 31 appearances / Michigan St 2 titles, 8 F4s, 27 appearances.

That leaves 1 spot for the top 10. I have a hard time putting Syracuse in there. 1 title, 5 F4s, 36 appearances.
Here's their competitors: Ohio St. 1 title, 10 F4s, 25 appearances / Cincinnati 2 titles, 6 F4s, 27 appearances / Okie St 2 titles, 6 F4s, 25 appearances / I didn't expect this one, Arkansas 1 titles, 6 F4s, 29 appearances. I think an argument can be made for all of these. No doubt, Syracuse has shown more consistency over time, but done less with it.

What do you guys think about that last spot?

[Rocky Mountain Shock]

Just a note to @Dan: before I get to the heart of my post, UCLA did win a National Championship in '95 and 3 more F4s in the 2000s.

I think the Top 4 are fairly clear: UCLA 11 titles, 18 F4s, 45 appearances / Kentucky 8 titles, 15 F4s, 52 appearances / UNC 5 titles, 18 F4s, 44 appearances, / Duke 4 titles, 15 F4s, 37 appearances.

The next three: Indiana 5 titles, 8 F4s, 37 appearances / KU 3 titles, 14 F4s, 42 appearances / Louisville 3 titles, 10 F4s, 39 appearances. I kept Indiana out of the top group due to a lot fewer F4s (rank tied for 8th) and gave Duke more credit for 7 more F4s even though they had one less title. KU ranks 5th all time in F4s and 4th in appearances.

For one reason or another, the next group doesn't quite match up with the 2nd group above. UConn 3 titles, 4 F4s, 31 appearances / Michigan St 2 titles, 8 F4s, 27 appearances.

That leaves 1 spot for the top 10. I have a hard time putting Syracuse in there. 1 title, 5 F4s, 36 appearances.
Here's their competitors: Ohio St. 1 title, 10 F4s, 25 appearances / Cincinnati 2 titles, 6 F4s, 27 appearances / Okie St 2 titles, 6 F4s, 25 appearances / I didn't expect this one, Arkansas 1 titles, 6 F4s, 29 appearances. I think an argument can be made for all of these. No doubt, Syracuse has shown more consistency over time, but done less with it.

What do you guys think about that last spot?

Something to consider is timing. Cincy's titles came way back in the sixties, and Oklahoma State's were twenty years before that. I give the nod to Syracuse--always in the mix with a recent title that perhaps demonstrates a rising trend line.

[ShockTalk]

Something to consider is timing. Cincy's titles came way back in the sixties, and Oklahoma State's were twenty years before that. I give the nod to Syracuse--always in the mix with a recent title that perhaps demonstrates a rising trend line.

I would totally agree if the title of this thread is "over the last 30/40 years". However, "all time" is "all time". It doesn't really matter when a team did it. Except for Cincy, the others have had recent success, just not titles. I think one could make an argument that Ohio St is on the rise and 10 F4s to Syracuse's 5 is significant.

[wufan]

I would totally agree if the title of this thread is "over the last 30/40 years". However, "all time" is "all time". It doesn't really matter when a team did it. Except for Cincy, the others have had recent success, just not titles. I think one could make an argument that Ohio St is on the rise and 10 F4s to Syracuse's 5 is significant.

While all time is important, when you are talking about the elite programs, sustainability and consistency is just as important as number of titles IMO. As such, I would give extra credit to programs with recent success. Also, I don't feel the need to round out the top 10 when it comes to elite status. There is a natural cut off at # 9.

[Rocky Mountain Shock]

I think one could make an argument that Ohio St is on the rise and 10 F4s to Syracuse's 5 is significant.

That's a good point and I'd agree with that.

[ABC]

That's a good point and I'd agree with that.

I think that Syracuse beat KU head to head in the Natl Championship game, gives them a possible edge over KU.

[pinstripers]

1. Kentucky
2. (tied) KU, UNC, Dook, UCLA
6. Indiana
7. Louisville

[ShockTalk]

While all time is important, when you are talking about the elite programs, sustainability and consistency is just as important as number of titles IMO. As such, I would give extra credit to programs with recent success. Also, I don't feel the need to round out the top 10 when it comes to elite status. There is a natural cut off at # 9.

1. Kentucky
2. (tied) KU, UNC, Dook, UCLA
6. Indiana
7. Louisville

I, too, think that there is a natural cutoff at 9 for the top programs. 7 would also be my choice for the "elite" group, although I don't believe KU has the number of titles and F4s to be added to the top 4.

[ShockTalk]

That's a good point and I'd agree with that.

At first, I thought about only putting up Ohio St over Syracuse. However, I think showing the other 3 programs emphasized that, while Syracuse is a very good program with a long history, there are a number of other programs who have attained more glory with much fewer appearances. Kind of compared it to what CU did in the Valley.

[wu_shizzle]

honestly, i believe that marshall could win a national championship at wichita state. 'might take some more years, but..

Calipari could've won at Memphis, no reason HCGM couldn't win one here.

[WuShock16]

Calipari could've won at Memphis, no reason HCGM couldn't win one here.

But Gregg actually took WSU to a Final 4, something Calipari "never did" until he got to Kentucky.

[wu_shizzle]

But Gregg actually took WSU to a Final 4, something Calipari "never did" until he got to Kentucky.

Officially, or unofficially?

[ShockTalk]

Calipari could've won at Memphis, no reason HCGM couldn't win one here.

Please! No like comparisons to Calipari.

[Bluzrover]

The class we have coming in next year is supposed to be his best recruiting class of his career. He's building something really special here.

And not a single 4 star or 5 star in the bunch! And I don't mind. I think he finds the right kind of players that know how to contribute to a team. This current batch is proof positive.